SCUBA Dive Sites in St. Croix

Some of the best SCUBA
diving in the Caribbean can be found in the waters surrounding St. Croix. This
page will help you to find just
some of the dive sites located in St. Croix, USVI.

Click on
the map locations for detailed information.

1: Scotch Banks:
A flat sandy submerged mountain top Just to the east of Christiansted harbor,
Scotch Banks is an underwater mountain whose top is in 25 feet of water. There
is a wall to dive on that starts in just 40 feet of water and plunges down to
1000 feet. Occasionally, you will see eagle rays, manta rays and even
whale sharks here.

2: Salt River Canyon
East Wall: You pick up a mooring in 40 feet of water
here, but off the boat will be 1000 feet of water! You'll see lots of corals and
sponges, and tons of fish is this very clear water. This East wall is separated from the West Wall by a
canyon that is several
thousand feet deep. You will typically see more fish here than anywhere else on
the Northshore.

3: Salt River
Canyon West Wall: At the mouth of Salt River, in 20 feet of water, is a wall
with a sharp drop off. You will find a lot of canyons and groves to swim through. Great
dive site for beginners as well
as advanced divers. This is the most popular boat dive on St. Croix. This site
is steep and rugged on the west side of the Salt River Canyon, which is called
"The Pinnacles". This underwater formation has lots of swim-throughs, cuts
and ledges, overhangs, and recesses. A great all around dive site!

4: Rust-op-twist:
Like many of the sites around the island, Rust-op-twist took the name of a former
sugar plantation and shrimp farm. You can still see the huge pipes that were
used to bring nutrient rich water from deep in the sea. This site has
the deepest water to be found close to shore in the entire Caribbean. You
can use the pipeline as a navigational aid while you follow it down to some
great marine life. Great spot for seeing turtles.

5: The Pavilions:
Just to the east of Cane Bay is this great wall dive. Lots of corals and schools of
fish. Great for beginners and advanced, this site
is known for its abundance of marine life.

6: Cane Bay:
This by far the most popular shore dive as well as one of the most popular boat dives.
There is a dive shop across the small coast road from the beach where you can
rent gear and/or get fills. It is about a 200 yard swim to reach the wall, which
plunges to over 3,000 feet. There are beautiful coral gardens, in about 35 feet
of water, just before the wall begins, which is great for both beginners and
advanced divers. Lots of tropical fish, turtles and the occasional shark
out over the wall. There are three beach bars located here with great food and
drinks and live music. A great spot for after your dives! .
You should begin and end your dive
at the
boat ramp because there are shallow reefs that are on either side it.
Just take your time swimming straight out from the boat ramp, and drop down whenever
you want to. You can see where the wall is from shore by the deep blue color! The "Wall"at
Cane Bay

7: North star:
Located just off shore from the site of the old sugar plantation of the same
name. You will find an almost vertical drop off that starts in about 25
feet of water and drops down to 2,000 feet! Lots of schools of fish here. There
is a large Danish Anchor embedded in the wall at about 60 feet and another one
which lies on a shelf. This is one of the most spectacular
walls on the island and it can be accessed from the shore when the sea is
calm.

8: Davis Bay:
located in front of the Renaissance Carambola Beach Resort, this site is a great
wall dive. This site is reachable by shore and the resort has on-site dive
facilities. It is also a great boat dive.Davis Bay has many cuts and mini canyons making it great homes for seeing lobsters and an
occasional nurse shark.This site is also a good area to see Southern Stingrays on top of the
wall moving along the sand.

9: Eagle ray:
This dive site is located just outside of the Christiansted harbor entrance. It
is a gently sloping site with large coral
heads surrounded by white sand. An awesome dive for both beginners and advanced
divers, it is a great spot to see Eagle Rays feeding.

10: WAPA: On Long Reef across from the Adjacent to WAPA
(Water and
Power Authority) facility, you will find Long Reef with slopes of coral and sand chutes.
Lobster and nurse sharks are frequently seen here.

11: Gentle Winds:
Just off the shore from the beautiful condo complex called Gentle Winds, this
spur and grove reef starts here and runs for over a mile. You will find
awesome hard and soft
corals are better than any other dive location.

12: The Fredericksted Pier: The old
Frederiksted pier is one of the best macro dives in the world and is easily
accessible from the shore.
It makes for a great night dive, both for beginners and advanced divers alike.
The original pier was torn down due to hurricane damage but several very large
features still remain and are covered with breathtaking corals and sponges. The new pier is also
a great location to see how coral begins to take over. This spot is also one of
the best locations to view Sea
Horses.

Butler Bay Shipwrecks: Butler Bay has six
shipwrecks located very close to each other. You can see them all in just a
couple of dives. The wrecks of the Coakley Bay and Rosaomira are located close
to each other, and can be seen in one dive. The
wrecks of the Agiers Habitat, Suffolk Maid, Northwind and Virgin Islander are in
water 40-65 feet deep. Armageddon sunk in 100 feet of water just south of the
others in Butler Bay.

Chubbs Hole: Just north of the Frederiksted pier. You will find
several small caves and hiding spots for lobsters, nurse sharks, moray eels, and turtles.

Swirling Reef of Death: Located just south of the
old Frederiksted Pier, this site offers very calm water and really nice coral
formations surrounded by white sand.

Sandy Point: A quarter of a mile
off shore, are some
of the healthiest reefs on St. Croix. You will see many turtles around these
reefs.

Frederiksted - West End Ship
Wrecks

The Northwind is a 75
foot long, steel hulled ocean tug. Located in the waters on the west
end of St Croix.